Surprise ICAC mention for South Coast stalwart in NSW Liberal faction war
Who said what on Week 3 of Operation Rosny.
Understandably, politicians have featured heavily throughout the ICAC Operation Rosny inquiry into alleged illegal political donations and branch-stacking by the Reformers - a conservative Christian faction within the NSW Liberals.
When sittings resume on Wednesday before Assistant Commissioner Fabian Gleeson SC, former Liberal MP David Elliott will take the stand, followed by Miranda MP Eleni Petinos on Friday. Former Wollongong-based Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has been name-checked repeatedly, federal MP Angus Taylor has featured in evidence, and former minister Damien Tudehope delivered explosive testimony in week two.
You might have missed the mention of another South Coast political stalwart last week: former Bega MP Andrew Constance.
The Senate preselection brawl
Testimony from Week 3 focused on two main witnesses: political lobbyist Jeremy Greenwood and Dallas McInerney, the sidelined CEO of Catholic Schools NSW and former Mittagong Liberals president.
Exhibits presented by Counsel Assisting Juliet Curtin revealed how the January 2023 death of Senator Jim Molan sparked a fierce factional battle. Following a bitter preselection defeat, a March 2023 intercepted text showed McInerney venting to Greenwood, pointing the finger at Wollongong’s Fierravanti-Wells.
“I know I’ve been f—ked,” McInerney texted under oath. “Camenzuli and Amato and Pearson and Connie [Fierravanti-Wells] have been doing anyone but Dallas campaign for months... Yeah, it’s f—ked.”
To salvage McInerney’s political prospects, Greenwood immediately floated a backup plan: a joint conservative-moderate ticket pairing McInerney with Constance.
“But if [Marise] Payne goes, we run a ticket Dallas/Constance,” Greenwood texted. McInerney downplayed the exchange to the Commission, describing it as Greenwood merely “contemplating” options rather than active joint planning.
With the witness list boasting a sitting and a retired MP this week, the likelihood of similarly volatile testimony this week is significant.
Andrew Constance
Elected in 2003 as the Parliament’s youngest member, Constance served a decade before becoming NSW Treasurer in 2014. He left state politics in 2021 for an unsuccessful federal bid in Gilmore, narrowly losing to Labor’s Fiona Phillips. Following a failed 2023 Senate preselection attempt and a second defeat in Gilmore at the 2025 federal election, he was named CEO of Shoalhaven City Council.
Neither Mr Constance nor any of the politicians mentioned above have been accused of any wrongdoing.
Who said what on Week 3 of Operation Rosny
Jeremy Greenwood
Bogus retainers: Admitted routing 50 per cent of JPG Advisory’s monthly Catholic Schools NSW retainer directly to Jean-Claude Perrottet under a private “commission” arrangement, despite Perrottet performing no work.
Evading summons: Paid over $25,000 in expenses to fund Perrottet’s travel and stay in Fiji to avoid a parliamentary inquiry, while requesting developer Jean Nassif (Toplace) cover private security guards outside his own home to prevent a summons being served.
Pub collusion: Confirmed meeting Perrottet at the Oaks Hotel on 24 June 2025 right after a private ICAC examination, placing their mobile phones on a distant table to prevent recording.
Report leak: Admitted receiving a confidential draft parliamentary report from Damien Tudehope and immediately forwarding it to Perrottet in Fiji with instructions not to share it.
Dallas McInerney
Donor solicitations: Admitted texting an associate in March 2021 for regional recruitment numbers so he could “shake down” Federal MP Angus Taylor for $10,000 upfront and $3000 monthly.
Factional strategy: Confronted with a 2021 Signal message stating “Dallas wants Reformers to be ready to strike in [Bass Hill] branch”, acknowledging friction with MP Naji Najjar but denying requesting the specific branch takeover.
Due diligence failure: Acknowledged failing to verify Beckington Group credentials in 2019, learning under cross-examination that the ABN belonged to Christian Ellis’s sister, Dr Samantha Ellis.
Uninvoiced payments: Faced questioning over receiving regular $5000 monthly payments despite JPG Advisory ceasing invoices in late 2022, culminating in Greenwood texting: “I stopped sending them in the end, haha. I’ll sort it.”
